Day proud to represent

Track and field Olympian and former Costa Mesa High star Sharon Day holds up her street sign during a ceremony when Costa Mesa honored its local 2012 Olympians at City Hall on Tuesday.

Track and field Olympian and former Costa Mesa High star Sharon Day holds up her street sign during a ceremony when Costa Mesa honored its local 2012 Olympians at City Hall on Tuesday. (STEVEN GEORGES, Daily Pilot)

Steve Virgen

It was easy to hear the loud cheers for Sharon Day at Costa Mesa City Hall Tuesday night.

Neighbors and friends cheered for the Olympian who starred at the high school just a few blocks away. The cheers and support could easily be described as heartwarming. Also, there was great pride in those shouts of, "Sharon!"

Day smiled as she was honored with Misty May-Treanor, April Ross, Jake Gibb and the gymnastics coaches of Kyla Ross at a deserving ceremony for Olympians who recently competed in London.

Day was genuine when she talked about her feelings. She said she didn't have the performance she wanted in the heptathlon, but she was more than content to know that she competed for her country and represented her city well.

Day, who finished 16th in the heptathlon, was happy to pose for pictures with friends and fans. She answered every question directed toward her. She even read a promo ad for a local TV station.

During the ceremony she had to laugh along with the crowd when it was announced Sept. 12 will be Sharon Day Day.

After the ceremony and after catching up with friends and fans, she took time out to answer a few questions from the Daily Pilot.

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Question: What's it like to see all your friends and family here?

Answer: "It's really cool. It's cool to have an event like this where people from the city can come out and meet us in person. I know I have interacted with a lot of them on social media. It's cool to see people face to face and get to say thank you for their support. And they get to see us in person, so it's really cool.

Question: What did you take away from your Olympic experience?

Answer: I think that every Olympics is different. It's still track and field. You have to perform. Even though I didn't do quite as well as I wanted to I was still at the Olympics. It's such an honor to be able to represent my country and my city in an international competition like the Olympics. I'm just so thankful to be a part of it.

Question: I know you didn't finish the way you wanted. Does that stuff motivate you?

Answer: Oh definitely. Every year leading up to Rio [site of the 2016 Olympics], it'll definitely be big motivation for me. I feel that it can only go up from here.

Question: I called you the next Jackie Joyner-Kersee in a previous article. Is that a bit too much?

Answer: I don't know. Seven-thousand points, that is a lot. But we'll see. A lot can happen in four years.

Question: What do you think your training will be like in the future?

Answer: I don't think it will change drastically. It will be very similar to what the past few years have been. It's nice to be injury free and I can just keep working hard.

Question: What happened in the high jump when you finished 19th and cleared 5-feet, 9 3/4 inches, nearly four inches shy of the mark you posted at the U.S. Olympic Trials?

Answer: I don't even know. I think that I felt like I was ready and pumped up. I felt like I was jumping high, but obviously I wasn't. I was having one of those days when everything feels good, but I kind of came out flat.

Question: What goes on through your mind during a ceremony like Tuesday's?

Answer: Just that it's so cool to be out here and to be honored in this way. The City of Costa Mesa took the time out to honor us. It was really cool.

Question: What's up next for you?

Answer: I'm on break and then I'll start training in October and the season starts in January.